Redknapp has had two stents inserted to clear blocked arteries – and though he is due to be discharged tomorrow, he is set to miss Sunday’s Premier League clash with Fulham as well.

Kevin Bond and Joe Jordan will take charge of Tottenham tonight while Redknapp relaxes with son Jamie, who was at his bedside immediately after the operation.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy said: “We are delighted the operation went so smoothly and successfully.

“Knowing Harry he will want to rush back but it’s important that he only does so when he has recovered properly.”

Bond, with the squad in Russia ahead of tonight’s game, said: “If they said, ‘Recover for a few days’, then he’ll listen to them. While he loves what he does he’s not stupid.

“He doesn’t want to jeopardise his full recovery so he’ll do what they say.”

Bond has no worries taking charge in a European game and fully expects a call from Redknapp during the match if things are not going right.

“He will be watching it on the telly so he will probably ring me halfway through the first half. I’ll have to turn my phone off!” he said.

“Joe and I are in charge but there are no egos involved. Harry will be back in a few days.

“But between us we will take care of things in the next couple of days.

“Harry pretty much knows what he wants team-wise – he went through it leading up to the game and there are not really too many decisions to be made on that front.

“As the game goes on we may have to make some changes in-running and we will do that.

“And then it might be a good idea if he sits out Fulham. It might be. I think he’ll take advice from the doctors.

“If they say to him, ‘You’ve got nothing to worry about, you’re going to be 100 per cent’, then he’ll do what he thinks he ought to do.

“But I think I would say to him – as somebody who knows him as well as I do – if he was not ready.

“A couple of wins and that would be the best tonic. We have had a really good time of things since the first two games of the season. Harry is always totally engrossed in his football and all he will want to do is get back with us.”

The procedure was serious enough for Redknapp to get it out of the way this week rather than wait for the international break.

Bond added: “It’s been planned for the last four or five days.

“If they’ve felt that it needed opening up for the blood flow or whatever then that’s what they’ve done.

“When it comes to matters of your health then if they think it needs doing now then they are going to go ahead and do it.

“Even if you’ve got a cup final against Manchester United.”

One player hoping his own health concerns are behind him is winger Steven Pienaar, who has been plagued with injury since joining the club in January for £3m.

Initial attempts to play through a groin injury restricted him to just 12 games last season.

Pienaar, 29, said: “It’s been the most difficult period of my career.

“When you join a new team you want to start fully fit but I got injured quite early and it slowed down my progress.”